Chapter 541

Outside the door was not the Spirit Ice Plaza, but a hall.

However, through the glass doors of the hall, one could see the bustling crowd outside; the number of people was even greater than that of the Shilake Summons before, a true sea of people.

These are people who came to watch, looking forward to his wedding.

Tang Wulin had already told Shilake Academy that he would cover all the meal expenses for these people, limited to the twelve hours after the wedding, with all food and drink at every restaurant in Shilake City being free.

Even for him, this is not a small expense; at this moment, the number of people gathered in Shilake City numbers in the millions, and if they all ate freely, the federal currency required would be incalculable.

But Tang Wulin does not regret this action.

To him, this wedding signifies that his life is about to enter a new stage, a major event that will never happen again in his life.

Even if he later returns to the era ten thousand years later and holds another wedding, its nature would be completely different from this one.

Moreover, the quality of the metal he now forges has even surpassed that of Divine Artisan Zhenhua; officially advancing to Divine Artisan is merely a matter of time, and his money-making ability would likely be the strongest in the world—even if he cannot afford it right now, a little time would easily let him repay any debt.

When he appeared, all eyes in the hall instantly focused on him.

These gazes held various emotions: probing, curiosity, doubt, relief, and deep blessings.

He glanced around and quickly found several people he was looking for.

Seeing Yun Ming waving at him, Tang Wulin smiled slightly, flashed forward, and arrived before him.

Yun Ming reached out and punched Tang Wulin's chest twice, laughing, "You little brat, the commotion of this wedding is far greater than mine back then—are you the Sea God Pavilion Master or am I?"

Tang Wulin chuckled, "We both are, Pavilion Master, have you forgotten?"

"Hey, that's right, thanks for the reminder, Pavilion Master."

Yun Ming burst out laughing.

Since his last seclusion ended, his temper has clearly improved a lot, and the gloom between his brows has dissipated considerably.

The battle with Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong benefited him greatly.

Originally, he thought that in this lifetime, let alone creating a divine realm, even forming a complete divine position was unlikely.

But after experiencing true divine-level power in that previous battle, various insights arose in his mind, continually guiding him toward greater strength.

If he continues at this pace, he might not need much time before he can truly grasp divine-level power.

Tang Wulin doesn't know these things; frankly, he is very curious about Yun Ming's current strength, and after the wedding, if time permits, he wants to spar with Yun Ming and learn from each other.

His strength is indeed far greater than Yun Ming's, but that doesn't mean he has nothing left to learn; for instance, Yun Ming's mastery and understanding of the spear are beyond Tang Wulin's reach, requiring a lifetime of study.

Ya Li stood gracefully beside Yun Ming, holding his arm, smiling as she watched the two talk and laugh.

After the laughter ended, Tang Wulin's expression gradually turned serious; he sincerely told Yun Ming, "Our smooth progress to this point is all thanks to your help—I'm truly grateful. If you ever need anything, I will spare no effort to assist."

During these few months of wedding preparations, Yun Ming indeed provided him with considerable help.

The most crucial step was when he personally stepped forward to declare that Tang Wulin had officially defeated him, becoming the new generation's strongest on the continent.

Just this single act reduced the criticism of Tang Wulin in society by over ninety percent.

The identity of being both the continent's strongest and the Sea God Pavilion Master gives Yun Ming's words an incredible weight across the land; no one would doubt what he says.

Thus, Yun Ming is actually the master of ceremonies for today's wedding as well.

Only he possesses the strength and status to suppress everything.

Tang Wulin's wedding being able to proceed smoothly owes him second place in merit.

As for who ranks first…

Tang Wulin approached Zang Xin and greeted him.

"Hey, Zang Xin, this outfit suits you well."

At this moment, Zang Xin had already put on the groomsman's attire; upon seeing Tang Wulin approach, he lunged forward, his eyes bloodshot, and asked excitedly:

"Tang Wulin! What's going on with those guys! Why are soul beasts here? What if they mess things up?!"

Following his pointed finger, Tang Wulin saw the ferocious beasts such as Di Tian standing not far away, their faces overcast with gloom.

Di Tian also wore the groomsman's outfit; as the leader of the ferocious beasts and the most famous soul beast, he needed to take the lead.

Tang Wulin gave Zang Xin a faint smile.

"It's fine, you don't need to worry."

Zang Xin said excitedly:

"How could I not worry! Weren't they just involved in a major incident half a year ago? It's because of their chaos that your and Huo Yutong's affair was exposed to the public eye earlier!"

"That's correct."

Hearing that, Tang Wulin's gaze softened.

"Speaking of which, the reason I could reach this point in just half a year after that is all thanks to your help."

If Yun Ming's help was leveraging his former status as the continent's strongest to use absolute prestige to bolster Tang Wulin publicly, then Zang Xin's help consisted of handling various PR work behind the scenes.

Without his help, the time Tang Wulin, who knows nothing about the wedding process, would need to prepare the wedding might be much longer.

Noticing Tang Wulin's sincere gaze, Zang Xin's originally excited expression eased; after a couple of dry coughs, he said embarrassedly:

"It's not as crucial as you say; honestly, even if I didn't do this job, plenty of others would—I just happened to be the first to meet you."

The leaders of all major powers are not stupid; they merely do some extra paperwork. If they could earn the favor of these two top-tier powerhouses, Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong, and make them willing to act on their behalf later, the benefits would be enormous.

At least Qian Gu Dongfeng will surely strive hard to curry favor, doing his utmost to win these two over to his side.

Tang Wulin nodded and smiled gently: "Perhaps what you say is correct, but no matter what, those who helped me are you; we cannot take others' help and goodwill for granted."

"... Is that so."

Zang Xin's complexion completely eased.

In fact, an important reason he is willing to run around for Tang Wulin so diligently is that he has a good impression of this young man.

Getting along with him brings a very comfortable feeling, which makes Zang Xin subconsciously want to help him and contribute his strength.

Perhaps this is the charm of a leader; no wonder Tang Wulin could, in the era ten thousand years ago, lead the strong warriors of the original three nations of Douluo to defeat the powerful Ri Yue Di Guo, and perhaps those who followed him also felt the same way.

Tang Wulin shifted his gaze from Zang Xin to Di Tian and the other ferocious beasts.

However, you're right, I should go warn them.

After saying that, he walked toward the envoy delegation of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Seeing him approach, the fierce beasts instantly tensed up, their gazes toward Tang Wulin filled with wariness.

Tang Wulin chuckled and said:

Don't be so scared; I don't think I've done anything to you, have I?

The reason I seriously wounded Xiong Jun and Wan Yao Wang upon first meeting was that they provoked me first; even if they hadn't tried to drag ordinary people from the soul‑engine train into the attack, Tang Wulin might not have acted seriously against them.

After that, he further agreed with them to help revive the soul beasts and restore the vitality of the Life Lake in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest; truly speaking, he is still a great benefactor to the soul beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

He sensed it slightly and sighed.

"There's no one hidden in the space; she didn't come, did she?"

"Di Tian said in a deep voice: 'I'm deeply sorry, but the Master does not yet wish to reveal himself before humanity.'"

"Oh."

Tang Wulin responded without changing expression, shrugged, and said: "Well, if she truly doesn't want to come out, then it's fine; it doesn't matter."

He looked at Di Tian, his gaze turning icy and sharp.

"Di Tian, you should understand what today's wedding means to me."

"Let me be clear: I invited you to attend this time to help you show your stance and try to get humanity to initially accept you, but if you dare ruin the most important wedding of my life..."

Tang Wulin's voice was low, but the surging killing intent it contained could not be hidden.

"I will personally exterminate your soul beasts entirely and completely devour the Master you hold in highest reverence."

"Do you understand?"

"... I understand."

Di Tian nodded with some difficulty.

Tang Wulin instantly broke into a lighthearted smile, as if the killing intent just moments ago had never existed.

"That's great; I'd rather not fight you unless absolutely necessary."

After saying that, he left the presence of the fierce beasts.

As soon as he left, Di Tian's whole body was drenched in cold sweat.

He could sense from Tang Wulin's voice that he was serious.

Tang Wulin has always given Di Tian the impression of being a nice guy; even during the soul‑engine train incident, the angry Tang Wulin had never erupted with such a level of killing intent.

Just now, Di Tian truly felt as if he had been transported back to countless years ago, trembling before the wrathful Dragon God.

He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then turned to look at the burly man behind him.

"Xiong Jun."

"Present!"

When Di Tian called his name, Xiong Jun instinctively puffed out his chest.

"Di Tian said coldly: 'I know you've always liked to pull sneaky little tricks behind the scenes, and I know that even to this day you don't fully accept me as the leader, but that doesn't matter.'"

"I'll tell you one thing: I can let bygones be bygones and let you do as you please, but if you dare act recklessly today, I will personally strike before Tang Wulin makes a move, roasting you whole and serving you as the grand finale of this wedding."

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes!"

Under Di Tian's gaze filled with killing intent, Xiong Jun's sturdy body couldn't help but tremble.

From Di Tian's words, he truly felt the surging killing intent; undoubtedly, this Beast God is serious.

Although Xiong Jun isn't very bright, his survival instinct is top‑notch; he has a strong sense of deadly danger, so he instinctively realized that if he dared cause trouble at this wedding, he would be doomed.

Seeing Xiong Jun completely lose the courage to cause trouble, Di Tian let out a long sigh and couldn't help but wryly smile.

Tang Wulin used killing intent to intimidate him, and he in turn used killing intent to intimidate Xiong Jun—this is truly...

However, he also understood that Tang Wulin never originally thought he would cause trouble now; Tang Wulin sought him out simply to use his hand to discipline Xiong Jun a bit.

Among the fierce beasts, only someone as brainless as Xiong Jun would still harbor a mischievous thought at such a crucial occasion.

After parting from Di Tian and the other fierce beasts, Tang Wulin then sought out the next group of people.

To be honest, he still felt a bit regretful that Gu Yue didn't come, so as a substitute he now sought out a young boy.

"Ah, you... hello, long time no see... Wulin."

Seeing Tang Wulin approach him in person, Xie Xie flustered for a moment.

After their previous meeting, he had actually come to accept this friend who had suddenly grown ten years older.

After the news of Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong's wedding spread online, while most people attacked Tang Wulin on the internet, he kept pushing back against those who insulted him.

But then Yun Ming personally stepped forward, saying that Tang Wulin had defeated him and become the continent's strongest, which still shocked Xie Xie.

In Xie Xie's view, Tang Wulin might have grown much stronger over these ten years, even reaching the level of an Honored Douluo.

But he never imagined that Tang Wulin would become this strong, even capable of defeating the legendary Heaven‑Supporting Douluo.

In an instant, the distance they had just closed seemed to drift apart again, and Xie Xie felt that Tang Wulin now stood completely beyond his reach.

Thus, when Xie Xie heard that Tang Wulin had invited him to attend the wedding as a special guest, he felt somewhat apprehensive and uneasy.

But after his family learned of this, they all urged him to come, even insisting he maintain a good relationship with Tang Wulin, so he ended up coming here.

Now, facing Tang Wulin dressed in groom's attire, he couldn't help feeling that the distance between them had grown even greater.

Tang Wulin noticed his unease, narrowed his eyes slightly, and smiled: "Hmm, long time no see, Xie Xie—how have your studies in Zero Class been?"

Xie Xie's expression eased considerably.

"Not bad; I'm now the top expert in Zero Class!"

Saying this, his tone inevitably carried some pride, and the tense atmosphere dissipated considerably.

"That's impressive."

As for this answer, Tang Wulin wasn't particularly surprised.

The last time they met, he had casually infused a strand of Dragon God power into Xie Xie's body.

Because Xie Xie's cultivation was too low, the amount he infused was really tiny, for fear of accidentally bursting Xie Xie.

But no matter how small the amount, the essence of that energy was still Dragon God power, greatly beneficial to ordinary people, and for Xie Xie, a dragon-attribute soul master, it was truly divine power.

Xie Xie's innate talent was already quite good; although there was a gap with those few in Class One, being able to advance to two rings before the freshman assessment showed their talent gap wasn't insurmountable, and after being transformed by Dragon God power, his talent had risen to a level where he could completely leave the others behind.

Half a year was enough for him to turn the tables and surpass them.

But soon, Xie Xie's expression darkened again.

"Wulin, do you know Gu Yue's whereabouts?"

"..."

Seeing Tang Wulin not answer, Xie Xie continued: "The last time you came looking for us, Gu Yue disappeared the next day, so I suspect her disappearance is related to you, right?"

Tang Wulin sighed helplessly and said: "I can only tell you that Gu Yue is fine, and if things go smoothly, after a while you'll learn about her." "That's good."

Xie Xie let out a slight sigh of relief.

Then he showed a somewhat lonely smile.

"Although I'm much stronger now, I always feel that those around me have become much more distant."

He still prefers the days when he, Tang Wulin, and Gu Yue would play around together.

During that time, although he wasn't as strong as now, it was indeed the happiest.

He sighed, then asked gloomily:

"Wulin, will I still be able to meet you in the future?"

Tang Wulin smiled slightly and placed his hand on his head.

"Of course."

"?"

Facing Xie Xie's somewhat doubtful gaze, Tang Wulin spoke softly:

"I've decided that after marriage I will teach at Shilake Academy; if you work hard enough to get into Shilake Academy, you might even become my student."

Xie Xie's eyes lit up instantly.

"Really?!"

Tang Wulin smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

Ten thousand years later, Shilake Academy admits a new class every three years, and as he knows, not long ago Shilake Academy had just enrolled a new batch of students.

If he were to become a teacher now, in three years, when this cohort advances to second year, it would coincide with Xie Xie coming to take the Shilake Academy entrance exam at age twelve.

If Xie Xie truly succeeds in enrolling, he would give up his position as a second-year teacher and return to teaching first-year students.

Saying this, he looked toward the cold-faced handsome man sitting not far away in a chair.

"Teacher, would you be willing to let Xie Xie go to me?"

Wu Changkong raised his eyebrows and said lightly: "If it's you, I naturally would be willing."

To be honest, upon hearing the news that Tang Wulin had defeated Yun Ming, he was also startled.

Although he had personally witnessed Tang Wulin crushing Zang Xin, as a former Shilake Academy student, Wu Changkong had long admired Yun Ming, having in his heart deified Yun Ming; to him, crushing Zang Xin and defeating Yun Ming posed no difficulty at all.

Becoming such an existence is something nearly every soul master can only dream of, so Wu Changkong naturally had no objections.

Tang Wulin took his hand off Xie Xie's head and asked Wu Changkong: "Teacher, have you seen the ancestral master?"

"... No."

Although Wu Changkong still wore his usual aloof expression, Tang Wulin keenly noticed that his complexion had stiffened considerably.

It seemed he was also torn; Tang Wulin understood this in his heart.

When he was in the Eastern Sea, he had once heard that Wu Changkong was from Shilake Academy.

After arriving at Shilake Academy, he once suddenly recalled this and asked Ya Li.

He then learned that Wu Changkong was actually a disciple of the Sea God Pavilion's Senior Elder Zhuo Shi.

Zhuo Shi's martial soul is the Scarlet Armor Dragon, and together with Feng Wuyu they are known as the Twin Holy Dragons of Shilake Academy, possessing Super Douluo-level strength, and can also be considered a pillar of the academy.

Over the past few months, Tang Wulin had often tried to get close to him, discovering that this elder's fiery temper was only superficial; in reality, like Wu Changkong, he was cold‑hearted but kind inside, and quite lenient toward his own family.

Furthermore, after several intentional and unintentional probes, Tang Wulin was certain that Zhuo Shi didn't truly dislike Wu Changkong; his attitude was more like throwing a tantrum, and as long as Wu Changkong came back to apologize and gave him an out, Zhuo Shi would likely forgive him.

Regarding what had happened to Wu Changkong back then, Tang Wulin gathered from Shilake Academy people's words that it was a very private matter, so he didn't intend to ask further.

But he sincerely hoped that Wu Changkong could reconcile with his teacher.

At this moment, seeing Wu Changkong display such a reaction, Tang Wulin let out a light sigh and sincerely said to him: "Teacher, I don't know much about your past, so I'm not qualified to judge who was right or wrong back then; I only want to tell you one thing: the ancestral master truly misses you."

"!"

Upon hearing those words, Wu Changkong's body shuddered violently, and his fists clenched tightly.

Tang Wulin showed a smile.

He understood that reaching this point was enough for now; he shouldn't press too hard, but should give Wu Changkong ample time to think it over himself.

He hoped that this teacher of his could make a decision he wouldn't regret.

Just then, a gasp came from behind; Tang Wulin instinctively turned his head to look at the source of the exclamation.

In an instant, his gaze became dazed.

It was a girl in a pure white wedding dress, who walked out from the inner room; upon seeing Tang Wulin, her pretty face instantly flushed crimson.

At some point, Yun Ming had come to Tang Wulin's side, patted his back, and said with a smile: "Seeing your bride, won't you give a comment?"

"Ah, uh..."

Only then did Tang Wulin snap back to reality; he opened his mouth, feeling his throat a little dry.

After a long while, he finally managed to force out a sentence.

"Um, this really suits you…… it looks great…… really!"

He, who is usually articulate, suddenly seemed like a different person, stammering, his words disjointed, making people unable to suppress laughter.

But apparently, this was already enough for Huo Yutong.

Her eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded heavily.

"Mm! Thank you, Tang Wulin, you're also handsome!"

"——"

Tang Wulin felt his face suddenly heat up.

Yun Ming beside him cast him a teasing glance, but he had no time to mind it at the moment.

He had often been teased by those around him, and his way of getting along with Huo Yutong was like that of an old married couple—tacit and natural.

Although Tang Wulin's responses were often rather impolite, deep down he did not deny their words.

Because in his view, there were indeed no secrets left between him and Huo Yutong; both had fully understood each other completely, and even a couple who had lived together for decades might not have such mutual understanding.

However, when the day truly came for her to wear a wedding dress for him, he realized he was wrong—he had never seen Huo Yutong in a wedding dress.

In the past, Huo Yutong's appearance gave people a feeling of being cute and lovable, making them unable to resist wanting to dote on her.

But now, after putting on the wedding dress, she gave off a mature married woman's aura, even exuding a hint of maternal radiance.

Of course, she was indeed about to become a wife imminently; as for when she would become a mother… that would be left to fate.

Langyue beside Huo Yutong laughed proudly and said to Huo Yutong:

"Look, Yutong, I said what I said—I knew Tang Wulin would definitely like this outfit of yours!"

This outfit of Huo Yutong's was entirely picked by her, and her makeup was also done by her.

Actually, if Huo Yutong had done it herself, she could have made the makeup look even better than Langyue's, but she hoped that at this crucial moment, there would be a mother‑like figure to fulfill her inner need for maternal love.

And Langyue was undoubtedly the most suitable person to play that role.

"Mm, thank you, Mom."

Huo Yutong softly thanked Langyue, but her gaze still lingered on Tang Wulin.

Langyue noticed her gaze and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, you like his outfit that much? Go on, go to his side and be with him."

"Mm!"

Huo Yutong's face instantly brightened, and she happily came to Tang Wulin's side, taking his hand.

Having her soft, petite little hand grasp his, Tang Wulin's heart gave a sudden jump.

Even though they had performed this action countless times before, at this special moment and occasion it still made his heart flutter.

At that moment, he heard Huo Yutong's voice echoing deep within his heart.

"All right, relax a bit—everyone's watching."

Only then did Tang Wulin realize that everyone's gaze had, at some point, gathered on him and Huo Yutong, many faces bearing smiles, obviously finding his reaction highly amusing.

Among them, Na'er's gaze was inexplicably complex; she glanced at Huo Yutong, then lowered her eyes to look at her own outfit, and asked Langyue, "Mom, who came up with the idea of making me a bridesmaid?"

Langyue was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said:

"Do I even need to answer? Of course it's your brother—he had been looking forward to your bridesmaid outfit for a long time."

"... Oh, is that so."

Na'er's eyes suddenly filled with regret as she looked at Tang Wulin and read aloud:

"It's a shame that a certain heartless brother, upon seeing his wife, immediately tossed his sister to the back of his mind."

"No, no—I didn't!"

Tang Wulin hurriedly denied, saying:

"Na'er, your bridesmaid outfit looks really nice! Really!"

"Is that so……"

Na'er's expression inexplicably became even more regretful; she wore a smile devoid of any emotion and said to Tang Wulin:

"Thank you for the praise, brother; Na'er will do her best as a bridesmaid today."

Then she let out a soft sigh and muttered quietly:

"I actually wanted to be the bride instead."

Yet how could her quiet self‑talk escape Tang Wulin's ears? He couldn't help but curiously ask:

"Na'er, you want to be the bride? Could it be that you have someone you like?"

Na'er shook her head, her expression wooden.

"No."

"?"

Tang Wulin felt that something was off overall.

Na'er's expression wasn't like her usual self; perhaps she was lying and actually did have someone she liked? But now wasn't the time to get to the bottom of it, so Tang Wulin decided to ask Na'er for clarification after the wedding.

Unlike him, Huo Yutong beside him looked at Na'er with eyes full of worry.

She clearly knew who Na'er liked.

Just then, Na'er suddenly turned her head to look at her, and their gazes met.

Strangely enough, Huo Yutong activated Mental Detection Sharing, linking their minds together.

Na'er's voice rang out in her mind.

"You must make my brother happy."

Huo Yutong's gaze instantly became resolute.

"Hmm, definitely!"

"That's good."

Na'er finally showed a hint of a sincere smile.

After spending this time together, she had come to fully understand Huo Yutong's character.

No matter how unwilling she felt inside, she had to admit that her older brother had indeed found a good match; in this world, it was nearly impossible for anyone to be more outstanding or more suited to Tang Wulin than she was.

Watching Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong in their wedding attire, Na'er deeply realized that her first love was now completely over.

Between the two of them, there was not even a sliver of room for anyone else to intrude.

"Ding! Ding! Ding—"

Just then, a huge bell rang from outside the hall.

Yun Ming stretched lazily.

"Ah ah, it's my turn as the host to go on stage."

He turned his head to look at Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong, and said gently:

"I can roughly guess how you're feeling now; don't be nervous, just enjoy this experience. Believe me, as time passes, this day will become an irreplaceable memory in your lives."

As someone who's been through it, his words carried a weight that could not be ignored, making Tang Wulin have to take them seriously; he nodded seriously and said:

"Mm, I understand."

"Haha, that's good."

Yun Ming's smile grew more unrestrained; he took Ya Li's hand and walked out of the hall.

Tang Wulin watched his retreating back, and his previously fluctuating heart instantly calmed.

Everyone was working hard for him; as one of the two main figures of this wedding, he too ought to settle his emotions and get ready.

(End of chapter)